Is Burton Headed To Dior?

Sarah Burton


AS attention turns to Dior couture this afternoon in Paris and the first show to be held since Raf Simons left his creative director post in October, so too does who his successor will be. Industry rumours have thrown up many names since Simons's departure - Alber Elbaz, Phoebe Philo andOlivier Theyskens among them - but the one that seems to be gathering momentum right now is that of Alexander McQueen's creative director, Sarah Burton.

Raf Simons at his last show for Christian Dior

Burton, who has been with McQueen since 1997 when she worked as founder Lee McQueen's personal assistant, has lead the company to critical acclaim since she took the helm following McQueen's death in 2010. If she were to be appointed to the top job at Dior, there would no doubt be lengthy negotiations, not least concerning where operations would take place as Burton and her family are currently located in London while the Dior atelier is in Paris.

Olivier Theyskens is also rumoured to be in talks

In December, Dior revealed that its in-house design team would be taking charge of the pre, couture and ready-to-wear autumn/winter 2016 collections, but with no confirmation of who will be responsible for spring/summer 2017 showcases, an announcement is likely soon.